1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to knife holders having blade-receiving slots therein for removably supporting kitchen knives.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains many examples of knife holders adapted to rest on a supporting surface, such as a table or counter, or adapted to be hung on a wall near a work center in a kitchen. Such prior art knife holders typically comprise a body having an upper surface from which knife-blade-receiving slots extend into the body. The upper surface is either horizontal, with vertical slots extending into the body, or slanted, with vertically sloped slots extending into the body, and, when a knife is inserted into a slot, that end of the knife handle from which the knife blade extends rests on or against the upper surface. The length of each slot is equal to or greater than the length of the blade of a knife to be supported therein and, as a result, when a knife is to be removed from the block, it must be withdrawn along the slot axis until the tip of the blade clears the upper end of the slot on the upper surface of the block. As a result, knife holders of the aforesaid character cannot be usefully located beneath a cabinet or shelf unless the clearance between the upper end of a knife handle and the underside of the cabinet or shelf is greater than the minimum distance the blade of a knife supported in the holder needs to be raised vertically to clear the upper end of the slot during removal, for example.
The following U.S. Patents illustrate the state of the art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,955,789; 2,338,303; 1,746,503; 2,495,866; 2,238,324; 2,924,410; 2,517,972; 2,413,I69.